reagan in 1984. >> i did avoid, i'm afraid, in my previous answer also. >> reporter: president obama seemed to have initially thought all went well that night. >> this was a terrific debate. >> reporter: but quickly after he left the stage, he talked to aides and realized he had not brought his "a" game. "this is on me," he later told top advisers, and since then, he's been studying the video of that night with the goal of a more energetic and crisp performance. while the obama campaign dismisses it, other top democrats say pressure is now on vice president biden. a win by congressman paul ryan could create a dynamic of energized challengers squaring off against tired incumbents. and, diane, vice president biden is in debate prep holed off in a delaware hotel reading the book that ryan co-authored, "young guns" and practicing some of the attack lines the president did not use. there is more room for vice presidential candidates to use those attack lines because their approval ratings do not matter as much. diane? >> jake, as you said, the pressure really on, and governor romney tried